Daily Republican., 1887-08-27
AvALUABLE INvENaIoN.

A Process BY Which the whitening of
Bricks II Prevented-J. W. d. u. II
.Hiegips, wiImingtonians, Have the
Patent.
Brick whitening has been q causs for
complaint for many years mast, indeed
from time immemorial. 1t has been
provoking for b1iiders as well as own.
ers 10 have new aud handsome tu,ld
tngs erected In tho mort improved syy lie
OF architecture and in short lims 10
see the brick work coated with q GOV.
ering like hosr frost, but which. un
like frost, resisted every attempt to
make 1t vanish away before the rising
sun.
A great many expedients have bsen
resortsd to to find the agency TINT
would prevent this diecolora.ton that
made many handsome houses appear TO
great disadvantage. Large rewards
and bonuses have been offered in large
cities In the West where this chemical
sction seemed to have the worst effects,
but although scientists and chemists
nave racked their brains to discover Q
counteraoting force. they were not sue.
cessful.
Bat what learned and scier tific men
have made any pretensions to scholarly
attainments nor rubbed their backs
against the walls OF college unless to
rest themselves, or to paint them, have
invented, and it is now doing its work
effectually. The name Of the inventor
Of this process for stamping out the
whites In brick is Joseph W. HigRiDs,
o Wilmington painter. one Of the best
Of the trade. His attention WAS at.
tracted to the disooloration OF brick
work some three years ago by reading
OF an advertisement In q western news
paper. Offering large reward for an
invention that would remove these
white coatings and prevent them from
rsappesring.
Though no chemist, Mr.. Higgins
knew that the exuberance from the
bricks was OF q chemical nature, and he
very properly supposed that 1t should
be removed by chemical prooess. Mr..
Higgins went 10 work with the knowl.
edge he bad In mixing paints, knowing
the effect that one ingredient had upon
another, until he struck upon the right
composition. 1t 10 not fair to Mr.. Hig.
gins to say what that composition con.
sists of. That is his secret, and now
that he has succeeded he deserves Q
monopoly Of his invention as Q re-
muneration for his genius. He was
about four months In working out his
invention. When one combination
would not suit he tried another, and
kept on making changes Of combine
tions until victory crowned his efforts.
There 10 no doubt that Mr.. Higgins
has invented just tile article need ed.
1t Is 10 solution and applied to build
Ing like . wash with q brush. The
first application is put On hot, the SEQ.
ond oold. 1t has no coloring OF itself
but is as clear rs water. The frst ap-
phcation drives the whitening out of
the brick, the second application fills
up the pores of the brick and the work
Is done-the brick is educed to Its
natural red color.
When Mr.. Higgins perfected his in
vention, only he had faith in 1t. No.
body believed he bad succeeded. But
with perseverance, that always leads 9
to success Mr.. Higgins talked up his
invention until 1t began to attract at
tention.
Finally one or two property owner,
through Mr.. Higgins persuasious, per-
ent Pressed Brick Preserver, as he
called II, to their whttsned walls, pro-
vided he made no charge for 1t. Mr..
Higgins accepted the offer and made
the application. 1t has been two years
and SIX months since this took place
aed the whitened covering has never
yet made temperance. Since then
Mr. Higgins has applied his wash to
quite . large number of buildings in
Wilmington and all with tho same re-
suit. He believes he has completely
mastered the situation, and last Decem-
Der he took out letters patent for his in
vention.
Mr.. Higgins has taken into partner.
ship with him his cousin, George r.
Higgins, who has bought half inter-
est, and under the name and title OF j.
w. 8 George B. HIGGINS, they ara pre-
pared to respond to all orders to stamp
out the whites ip bricks. They would
be pleased now to meet the men In the
West who few years ago were willing
to give 5000 ,0C0 for Just what Mr.. Zig.
gins has invented.
They are also prepared TO sell State
and County rights and they can be CON.
suited, Joseph W. Higgins at the Grand
Union Hotel, and George r. Higgins at
Ill East Front street The Grand
Union Hotel is one of the build dings to
which the invention was app lied with
perfect success.